Orthopedic foot drop brace



Feb. 24, 1959 E. COWGILL ORTHOPEDIC FOOT DROP BRAGE u Filed Aug. 12,1957' v INVENTOR. 475M451? IJdl/G/ZL United States Patent ORTHOPEDICFOOT DROP BRACE Edward F. 'Cowgill, Richwood, Ohio Application August12, 1957, Serial No. 677,517

1 Claim. (Cl. 128--80) This invention relates to orthopedic appliancesand more particularly to a foot brace for partially paralyzedindividuals.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brace forpreventing foot drop that is commonly found in those individuals thathave experienced paralytic disease.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a brace of theabove type that is of light weight, readily applied to various types ofshoes, and which can be.worn equally as well by both sexes and by smallchildren.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an orthopedic appliancebearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has aminimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efiicient inoperation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention,reference may be had to the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a foot brace made in accordance withthe present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Figure 1, inoperative use; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken along line 33 ofFigure 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, an orthopedic appliancemade in accordance with the present invention is shown in operativeassociation with a shoe 11 that has an outer sole 12, a heel 13, and ashoe upper 14.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 3, the heel 13 has a transverse borewithin which a transversely extending tube 16 is secured, the tubeextending slightly outwardly of each side of the heel. A shorterlongitudinal tube 19 is also secured within the heel 13. along thelongitudinal central plane thereof. The appliance 10 includes a trunk 23of yieldable rod construction that has a lower end 27 angularly relatedto the main ,body portion 23 thereof that is slidably received withinthe longitudinal bore 20 of the sleeve 19.. An inverted bail member 29is secured at its mid section adjacent to the lower end of the' trunk23, the free ends of which are 2,871,690 Patented Feb. 24, 1959 iceturned inwardly so as to be slidablly received within the opposite endsof the bore 17 of the transverse sleeve 16 The upper extremity of thetrunk 23 is provided with a plurality of transversely extending arcuatecradle bars 25 that are adapted to engage behind the calf of the leg ofthe wearer.

In use, the appliance 10 may be secured to any shoe having theaforementioned transverse and longitudinal sleeves in proper positionwithin the heel 13. Thus, a single appliance may be used with a completewardrobe of shoes that have been prepared for this purpose. With theappliance in properly assembled relationship with the shoe, the cradlebars 25 engage behind the calf of the leg so that upon raising the foot,the toe thereof is prevented from dropping downwardly about the anklebecause of the action of the cradle bars 25 against the calf. raisedduring the swinging movement of the foot so that walking becomes quitenatural, the foot just swings ahead in a very natural and effortlessmanner. Because of the light weight of this device, it does not impedethe movement of the limb so that a natural effect is possible. Ifdesired, padding can be added to the points of contact of the brace withthe leg, such as upon the cradle bars 25. However, since there isusually little feeling in this part of the limb, such is usually notrequired.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shallbe understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

An orthopedic appliance for preventing foot drop in partially paralyzedindividuals comprising, in combination, a shoe having an upper, an outersole, and a heel, a main trunk member, means integral with the lower endof said trunk for securing said appliance to the heel of said shoe, andmeans at the upper end of said trunk for engaging the calf of the leg,said main trunk member comprising a substantially yieldable rigid rod,said integral means at the lower end of said rod comprising an angularlyrelated terminal portion, a sleeve secured longitudinally and centrallywithin said heel for receiving said terminal portion, a bail membersecured at the mid portion thereof to said rod adjacent to said terminalportion said bail member extending forwardly from said rod toward saidsole portion of said shoe, each end of said bail having an angularlyrelated terminal portion, said heel having a transversely extendingsleeve, and said ends of said bail being slidably received within saidtransversely extending sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,332,047' Lasher Feb. 24, 1920 2,444,839 Markkula July 6, 19482,456,046 Burrows Dec. 14, 1948 2,663,294 Harrison Dec. 22, 1953 Theaction of this device is such that the toe is

